“Oh my gosh! I am so, so sorry about that, I didn’t know it would be that serious. How is her
situation now? What did the doctor say?”
“After the D and C carried out on her, the doctor said she would be fine and be ready to go
home as soon as she regained consciousness. However, there are bills to settle, so, you better
bring your head over here and settle the bills.” She dropped.
When she dropped, I held my phone and looked at it for a while in wonder. Was that neighbour
actually talking to me like that? Anyway, she was lucky that she was married. If she wasn’t, I
would have made sure that she joined Jane in that hospital.
By the way, what was the point worrying, she had already lost the baby. I would just calm down
now, wait for her to recover and then, quietly give her some money, and send her packing. I
couldn’t tolerate her troubles anymore.
I had my bath, called the boss that I would be taking the day off because of an emergency, and
drove to St. Mary Hospital where she was hospitalized. I was shocked when I went into her
ward and met Sandra there.
“Hello, Sandra. You are here? Did she call you?”
“Yes, John. She did call me. Where have you been?” She asked angrily.
“I have been home. Just wanted to freshen up, and then come here.”
“Indeed.”
I noticed that Jane was up, and they were trying to feed her tea.
“Hi Jane. Hope you feel better now. I am sorry I didn’t come here last night. You know, I had to
stay home and take care of Chloe.” I lied.
She didn’t respond. She just turned her face and looked at the wall.
I excused myself and went to the doctor’s office and she gave me an update on Jane’s present
situation. After that she directed me to the cashier’s office where I was supposed to settle the
bills. When I finished settling the bills, I went back to Jane’s ward, but I didn’t find Sandra. I was
about to ask where she had gone to, when my phone rang. It was her.
“Please, meet me at the parking lot.” She spoke calmly.
I hurried to the parking lot to find out why she was there instead of the ward. When I got there, I
saw her leaning on my car. However, the Sandra I saw standing there was not the same Sandra
I had always known. Immediately, I figured something had gone wrong somewhere.
“Sandra, why this look?” I asked. “Why are you here all alone.”
“What happened to Jane?”
“I don’t know, the doctor said she was pregnant, and she had lost the baby because she
attempted doing a criminal abortion.” I lied. “You see these children, so, she was in my house
like that she had a boyfriend outside and she was sleeping with him.”
“Will you shut up your mouth, you liar.” Sandra shouted.
“You call me a liar?” I asked, surprised.
“Yes, you are not only a liar but a criminal.” She started crying.
“What are you talking about, Sandra. I don’t know what you are talking about.” Up until now, my
overconfident self, had not yet realized that it was possible that my secret had been revealed.
“Who is Jane to you, answer me truthfully.” She asked with clenched fists.
That was when it dawned on me that I had been caught. Someone had told Sandra everything.
It was most probably the neighbour or who knows, Jane herself. There was no need arguing.
Guilt was written all over me. I went down on my knees immediately.
“I am sorry, babe. I should have told you everything. It is my fault.”
“Everything? You should have told me that you were sleeping with another woman right under
my nose, and lying that she was your cousin?” She was shaking with anger.
“I am sorry, it was just someone I wanted to help. Now, when she started living with me, she
seduced me. I was drunk and couldn’t resist. When I realized that something had happened
between us, shame couldn’t allow me tell you. I am so, so sorry.” I lied again, trying to convince
Sandra.
“Shut up!! You liar. Who are you trying to fool? Have you not fooled me enough? Have you not
gotten tired of making a fool and a laughingstock of me? For your information, I have been told
everything, yes. I have been told how you ravaged her every night against her wish, how you
blackmailed her into secrecy and how you got her pregnant, proposed abortion and finally beat
her until she lost the pregnancy.”
There was nothing I could do. Whoever had told her, did a fine job. She knew everything that
had happened. I tried to apologize again, but it was too late. She removed my ring, and flung it
on my body. She also threw the key to my house that was with her on me.
“I never want to see you again.” She spoke. “Beginning today, we are back to being colleagues.
It is a good thing no one even ever knew we were dating. If you ever try to talk about love to me
again, I will have you castrated, he goat.”
“But we have gone past this, babe. Please, let’s talk about this. Okay, how about your mother
and your relatives. You have already introduced me to them. What are you going to tell them
now?” I asked in pain.
“They will never want someone like you for an in-law. As for my mum, I will talk to her and she
will understand. Now, get lost.”
As she attempted to leave, I grabbed her dress but she gave me a hot slap that made me feel
as if my skull had been shattered.
That evening, I drove Jane home. I bought her a lot of beverages and energy drinks. I wanted
her to recover as soon as possible so that I could send her parking. In my deranged mine, I
thought I still had a chance with Sandra. I still planned on going to the office to beg her.
The next day, while we were at work, I called her into my office and begged and begged to no
avail. She warned me that if I kept disturbing her, she was going to report me to the boss for
harassment. I even went to her house and tried to talk to her mother to intercede for me.
The sick woman told me that she had no hand in the matter and only her daughter had the final
say. For two weeks, I tried to have her forgiveness, but all my efforts were futile.
Finally, a friend of mine advised me that I should go to her village and talk to her people, since
she had already introduced them to me. I believed that was a bright idea. So, that same
weekend, I drove down to her village and met her uncles, and I explained everything to them.
After haven drunk all the drinks I brought and took the money I gave, they still had the effrontery,
the guts, the temerity, to tell me that I should go back to the city and sort things out with my
fiancée first before coming back to them. I even went on my knees to show all humility and
remorsefulness, yet they stuck to their decision.
All I wanted was for them to call Sandra to come to the village so that we could all have one big
family meeting and reconcile, but they refused and asked me to go talk with her myself as if I
had not already attempted talking to her and everything ended in a fiasco.
Vexed, I drove back to the city, deciding that her uncles were all thieves. Why would they wait
until they had drunk my drinks and taken my money before telling me all the gabble, they told
me? Dishonest people!!
As I drove back to the city, I made up my mind that I was done with Jane. First thing the
following day, I was parking her out of my house for good. I had lost my fiancée because of her.
She had to go, but that would not happen when I had not dealt with that neighbour who had
been helping her first. I believed that it was both of them who had revealed my secret to Sandra.
I even believed that she was the one who had given Jane the courage to speak.
I increased the speed of my car in anger. I couldn’t wait to get to my compound and teach that
neighbour a lesson. I didn’t care weather she was married or not. She was going to get the
consequences of involving herself in my personal affairs.